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The Race to Make Fuel Out of Algae Poses Risks as Well as Benefits
Summary posted by Meridian on 7/28/2010
Source: E&E Publishing
Author: Dina Fine Maron
U.S. researchers are searching for the ideal oil-producing algae strain to grow in commercial quantities, and some of the varieties under development are genetically modified (GM), this article reports. A central question dominating algal biofuel conferences is whether the best oil-producing algae crop will come from strains occurring in nature, or if they will need to be GM to enhance their fuel-producing potential, the article says. A "small group of academics and researchers" are saying that GM algae, which would be grown in open pools outdoors, could cause problems. A breeze could pick up GM microalgae and carry them into nearby fields and streams to displace natural strains, alter the ecosystem, and perhaps get into the human food chain, the researchers say. Stephen Mayfield, the director of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, says he thinks it is unlikely that GM algae could compete with natural strains in the wild. But Isaac Berzin, a chemical engineer who in 2001 founded the first algae-to-biofuel company, GreenFuel Technologies Corp., says he is not sure about that, given how quickly algae can evolve. GM algae have yet to be grown outdoors, and regulations for doing so have not yet been developed. "Being a nascent industry, there are no existing standards for various aspects of algal biofuels production," according to an U.S. Department of Energy algae road map issued last month. But the article says history shows that in general, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be difficult to contain. A 2008 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, for example, found there have been half a dozen documented cases in the U.S. where GMOs were released unintentionally. The article can be viewed online at the link below.
The original article may still be available at www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/07/22/22climatewire-the-race-to-make-fuel-ou...
As tagged by Meridian Institute:
Topics:
Product development, Risks and benefits: human health, Risks and benefits: environmental, Scientific research, Biosafety
Regions:
North America
Stakeholders:
Academia, Industry, Government
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